This is my nephew. He is now forever my nephew. My sister-in-law Cherith has an amazing way with words so this is her writing the day they were able to file the petition to adopt their son to accompany my photos of the sweet ceremony ;)

"602 days ago this precious boy came into our lives. At times the road was curvy with low visibility for what may come. As time went on, the road straightened, but with a very, very slow speed limit. Finally...today, Marc and I filed the petition to adopt this little man as our own. In a few months he will officially be a Dalton! Few words are capable of expressing the intense emotions of adoption. All I can come up with is "overwhelmed". Overwhelmed at the opportunity to raise this sweet boy. Overwhelmed God chose us. Overwhelmed every time he squishy-nose smiles and says, "Mommy"/"Daddy". While his temperament is sweet and tender, he is a fighter. His story is not ours to tell, but we pray that God does mighty things through him in the years to come

*Indulge me for a minute.... Before you type the words, "He's so lucky to have you guys..." "He's so blessed to be with you guys... " "He's better off with you guys..." Remember this, adoption is born out of loss. He is not better off with us; he is simply exactly where he needs to be. And we will cherish every moment we have surrounding him with love, family, guidance, discipline, and sarcasm. Lots of sarcasm ;)"